Soundtrack Saturday: Furi

 

In this weekly feature, I recommend game soundtracks. I share a few of my favorite tracks, talk about why everyone should listen to the soundtrack, and a little bit about the composer. This week's choice is Furi by The Game Bakers.

THE STATS

Name: Furi
Developer: The Game Bakers
Publisher: The Game Bakers
Release Date: July 5, 2016
Genres: Action, shoot 'em up, hack and slash
Composer(s): Carpenter Brut, Danger, The Toxic Avenger, Lorn, Waveshaper, Scattle

MY FAVORITE TRACKS

(The titles link to YouTube videos... and I highly recommend some good headphones to best enjoy all of the subtle elements of the music!)

A Picture in Motion (by Waveshaper)

(Length: 3:22) This one is my favorite, hands down. There's a full minute of build-up and it's fantastic. If you start it at 1:04, it sounds like it was pulled directly from the opening credits of an 80's sci-fi or fantasy movie. Additionally, I love the shape of the chord change from 1:36 to 1:44. It reminds me of one of my favorite tracks from the Ecco games. The addition of a drumbeat right after that really makes the track take off, and it's just perfect.

Make This Right (by The Toxic Avenger)

(Length: 5:48) The way this track starts, you don't expect what it turns into by the 1:00 mark, but it totally works. For added complexity, we get an amazing use of cello at 1:43!

Enraged (by Carpenter Brut)

(Length: 4:57) A dark and ominous beginning! It's just what I'd expect from a composer who enjoys mixing horror tracks. The change just after the 2:00 mark is great, and maintains that sinister vibe.

What We Fight For (by Carpenter Brut)

(Length: 6:44) A great, slow build-up with some epic strings in the mix -- and choral lines as well! Everything jumps into overdrive at 2:55 and becomes the aerobic mix you never knew you needed.

7:53 (by Danger)

(Length: 2:37) You can comfortably start this track at 1:00 and not miss much musically, but the build-up is important -- as it is in all of the tracks that have it. The level of "epic-ness" in this one is off the charts, though. Parts remind me of the Frostpunk OST, even!

My Only Chance (by The Toxic Avenger)
(Length: 6:48) This one was actually not on the list originally! I went looking for a track to share with my patrons for a Music Share (something you get to see on my Patreon feed if you are a patron!), and re-listened to this one... and it grew on me.

You can listen to the full soundtrack on YouTube:

Furi OST

WHY DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Did you like the original Blade Runner movie? How about the music by Vangelis? That's what this OST has packed into it... and then a TON of beats to go with the bullet hell game genre, giving each track a veritable pulse of energy. A retro-but-sci-fi vibe with a lot of synth. Some tracks are bland to me, but others I could listen to on repeat for hours! (I cannot say the same of Blade Runner.)

The game consists only of boss fights, and are primarily bullet hell in nature. Here's an example if you have no idea what that is. That should help you visualize what this music is representing!

"Break The Chain

Buckle The Strap

Cross The Line

Tip The Scale

Bite The Hand

Mute The Song

Contain The Burst

Step Over The Edge

Drop The Beat

Do all this and you, too, can become The Star. But is it worth it? That's a decision you alone can make."

--Max Hay, YouTube

THE COMPOSERS

What a great mix of musicians! 

Carpenter Brut, aka Franck Hueso -- a French synthwave artist from France. He chooses to be very anonymous so that there's more importance placed on his music than the musician behind it.

Danger, aka Franck Rivoire -- a French electronic musician with a jazz and punk background, who as a hobbyist makes chiptunes using Amiga and Atari computers.

The Toxic Avenger, aka Simon Delacroix -- a French DJ, songwriter and record producer who has had collaborations with a variety of artists from electro-funk duo Chromeo to French rapper Orelsan.

Lorn, aka Marcos Ortega -- an American electronic musician from Normal, Illinois. In addition to Furi, he has contributed music to works like Ghost in the Shell, CSI, and Silicon Valley.

Waveshaper, aka Tom Andersson -- a Swedish electronic musician specializing in synthwave. His music is called retrofuturistic and is composed with a variety of hardware synthesizers.

Scattle, aka David Scatliffe -- a Californian producer, DJ, graphic designer and indie game developer best known for his composing on video games like Furi, Super Meat Boy, and Hotline Miami.